Hammer of Truth » DHShttp://hammeroftruth.com
common sense, shoved up your...Sun, 02 Aug 2015 21:30:08 +0000en-UShourly1Abolish the DEA & Secret Servicehttp://hammeroftruth.com/2015/abolish-the-dea-secret-service/
http://hammeroftruth.com/2015/abolish-the-dea-secret-service/#commentsSun, 12 Apr 2015 21:30:09 +0000http://hammeroftruth.com/?p=1023154
There have been several recent scandals involving the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Secret Service. While these agencies are not directly connected at times they do work together. For instance, the DEA and Secret Service were working together to investigate the Silk Road, and one agent from each department was arrested and charged with wire fraud and money laundering related to their malfeasance in the investigation.

You might be thinking, this is just a few bad apples; but remember the entire statement about bad apples: a few bad apples spoils the bunch. The “few bad apples” in the DEA and Secret Service, not to mention the “bad apples” in the FBI, CIA, TSA, other federal law enforcement agencies, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies, have definitely spoiled the bunches. Aside from the fact that the DEA should not even exist, the level of corruption alone should be enough to convince anyone that the agency should be abolished. The same can be said for the Secret Service: the level of corruption alone should be enough to convince anyone that the agency should be abolished. Because remember, those few bad apples have already spoiled the bunch, so removing the bad apples will not unspoil the bunch!

]]>http://hammeroftruth.com/2015/abolish-the-dea-secret-service/feed/0GOP digs in heels on DHS and immigration fundinghttp://hammeroftruth.com/2015/gop-digs-in-heels-on-dhs-and-immigration-funding/
http://hammeroftruth.com/2015/gop-digs-in-heels-on-dhs-and-immigration-funding/#commentsSun, 22 Feb 2015 22:30:46 +0000http://hammeroftruth.com/?p=1023121Many Republican lawmakers are digging in their heels in the fight to defund implementation of what they see as an executive overreach by President Obama. They’re so entrenched in their position that they’re acting as though they’ll allow the Department of Homeland Security budget to not be adopted. Which in reality wouldn’t have much impact on DHS activities, as approximately 200,000 of the 230,000 DHS employees are considered essential. The Chicago Tribune reports, “Most training, hiring, research and purchasing would be suspended. Border security, disaster relief and cybersecurity programs would continue uninterrupted.” In other words, nothing will really change, except that “essential” DHS employees will work without a paycheck until a budget is adopted.

While House Speaker John Boehner is adamant that the Democrats are to blame, and has painted this as a Republican vs Democrats showdown, others disagree. The Chicago Tribune reports, “This isn’t a Republican vs. Democrat standoff. It’s a Republican vs. Republican standoff. Specifically, it’s the grown-up Republicans in the Senate vs. the hold-our-breath-till-we-turn-blue Republicans in the House.” Adding that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is urging Boehner to send the Senate a clean DHS funding bill.

The real issue here is positioning. Boehner wants to be seen as standing up to Obama, and seems to be standing solidly behind his bluff of allowing the DHS to go unfunded unless he can defund Obama’s immigration plan. McConnell wants to be seen as more moderate, and willing to compromise. So far, both men are playing their parts well.

The problem that both men face, however, is their insistence on preventing funds for an immigration plan they wrongly view as an unconsitutional overreach. First, the US Constitution does not authorize Congress to set immigration policy, only to “establish a uniform rule of naturalization”. Secondly, Article 1 Section 9 and Article V make it clear that the only way Congress could regulate immigration is to amend the Constitution. Thirdly, the 9th Amendment makes clear that the people retain all rights not specifically granted to the US government, this includes the right to migration. Finally, Article II, Section 2 of the US Constitution clearly states, “The President… shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment.” Meaning that not only does the Congress not have authority to regulate immigration, but the President has the authority to pardon or reprieve a person who has violated a federal law. This includes the authority to delay punishment, which is essentially what President Obama has proposed with his Executive Order on immigration that would spare approximately 4 million undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Additionally, Republican outrage over “unconstitutional executive overreach” only applies to Democrats, and not to their fellow Republicans. The American Immigration Council reports, “Since at least 1956, every US president has granted temporary immigration relief to one or more groups in need of assistance.” Adding, “Some presidents announced programs while legislation was pending. Other presidents responded to humanitarian crises. Still others made compelling choices to assist individuals in need when the law failed to address their needs or changes in circumstance.”

The latest Executive Action by Obama is in the latter category. Despite the fact that one poll shows that half of Americans “disapprove of Obama taking immigration matters into his own hands.” Another poll shows “73 percent of Americans said Congress should focus on passing a comprehensive immigration reform package.”

What if I told you that the FBI has had the capability to impersonate and man-in-the-middle cell towers since about 1995?

Paranoid yet?

What if I told you that the information about Stingray (the snooping system) has been in the public domain since at least last year, when it was used in a case in Texas? What about the worst possible case, that it’s been in the public domain for more than a decade? (To be fair with the last one, even I, your intrepid news-gatherer, dismissed that out of hand, as Shimomura is pretty much a blowhard)

Now remember, this is five or so years BEFORE the DHS was even thought of, so god only knows what those intrusive idiots came up with in the ensuing decade.

Yet these guys have a black budget in the billions, and we have nary a dime to spend on, say, educating our Army.

Happy fishbowl, suckers!

]]>http://hammeroftruth.com/2013/i-should-buy-alcoa-stock-before-posting-this/feed/0College students thwart 70 agencies, sneak in Super Bowl XLVIIhttp://hammeroftruth.com/2013/college-students-thwart-70-agencies-sneak-in-super-bowl-xlvii/
http://hammeroftruth.com/2013/college-students-thwart-70-agencies-sneak-in-super-bowl-xlvii/#commentsSun, 10 Feb 2013 00:43:07 +0000http://hammeroftruth.com/?p=1021780This year, New Orleans’ Superdome had the distinction of being protected not just by the Department of Homeland Security and 4,000 private security guards. More than 70 federal agencies working out of the Joint Operations Center at the New Orleans FBI office, ostensibly with the goal of stopping anyone who didn’t belong inside the “National Special Security Event”.

Included in the clusterfuck of alphabet security soup is one that should probably be an expert in the matter, but is somehow the exact opposite — Customs and Border Patrol. CPB posted a self-congratulatory release on their website this week:

When the San Francisco 49ers faced the Baltimore Ravens, fans in the New Orleans Mercedes-Benz Superdome probably did not realize the level of security that covered them long before they made their way into the stadium. They may have been unaware of the nearly invisible protected air space that blanketed the venue hours before the kick-off and well after they left the stadium.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) once again was part of the super security team supporting New Orleans in their efforts to host a safe and secure Super Bowl XLVII experience. As part of the team, CBP brings its operational experience and assets to support their federal, state and local law enforcement partners, the National Football League (NFL) and the community.

The rub? Two students from Savannah State snuck their way past the army of security and into the event sans tickets. Their technique was simple enough — wearing matching hoodies and exuding extreme confidence. They even video-recorded the whole exploit, Savannah Now has posted portions.

Priceless reaction after the duo waltzed by security: “They should have stopped us.”

The United States Department of Homeland Security has stated a rifle chambered in 5.56 NATO (compatible with .223) with a magazine capacity of 30 rounds is “suitable for personal defense use in close quarters…”

Well smack me up-side the head. First, a hat tip to Breitbart’s Awr Hawkins who pointed us to a posted General Services Administration (GSA) business opportunity solicitation posted and updated last summer. Basically, the site posts a request for proposal (RFP) for personal defense weapons for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Notice the term assault weapon or assault rifle is not used anywhere in the document. The “assault weapon” terminology is only used for non-LEOs and non-military who own those firearms.

The scope of this contract is to provide a total of up to 7,000 5.56x45mm North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) personal defense weapons (PDW) throughout the life of this contract to numerous Department of Homeland Security components. …

In paragraph 3.1 under requirements and testing standards we read…

DHS and its components have a requirement for a 5.56x45mm NATO, select-fire firearm suitable for personal defense use in close quarters and/or when maximum concealment is required.

Isn’t that inconvenient for the gun control politicians? In requirement paragraph 3.9.10, they find a need for a 30-round magazine.

The action shall be capable of accepting all standard NATO STANAG 20 and 30 round M16 magazines (NSN 1005-00-921-5004) and Magpul 30 round PMAG (NSN 1005-01-576-5159). The magazine well shall be designed to allow easy insertion of a magazine.

In paragraph 3.21.2, they again specify the requirement for a 30-round magazine.

The magazine shall have a capacity to hold thirty (30) 5.56x45mm NATO rounds.

If you did not catch the interesting part in one of the quoted sentences above, let me point it out to you. The personal defense weapon should be select-fire capable.

DHS and its components have a requirement for a 5.56x45mm NATO, select-fire firearm suitable for personal defense use in close quarters…

The action shall be select-fire (capable of semi-automatic and automatic fire).

From the Fire Control Section, paragraph 3.10.1.

The fire control selector shall have three positions; safe, semi-automatic, and automatic. The selector shall have positions which are clearly labeled for the mode of fire.

This formal DHS RFP – which is specific concerning requirements – clearly indicates a select-fire rifle is appropriate for personal defense in close quarters.

They will get the good stuff, a selector switch for full auto to blow through all 30 rounds of each magazine included in the request in no time flat. We have to pull the trigger one shot at a time yet ours are the “assault weapons,” not “personal defense weapons,” when we own the same firearm minus the full auto design.

Are they planning on going to war? It sure would seem that way with the ammo they recently purchased.

Who will be the enemy? Those who have only “assault weapons” that fire one shot at a time? I believe the DHS should have the term “assault weapons” since they are the assaulters and we should get the term “personal defense weapons” to defend ourselves and our families.

]]>http://hammeroftruth.com/2013/dhs-ordering-7000-rifles-for-personal-defense-use/feed/11Rapiscan revoked: Sometimes, you take the small victorieshttp://hammeroftruth.com/2013/sometimes-you-take-the-small-victories/
http://hammeroftruth.com/2013/sometimes-you-take-the-small-victories/#commentsFri, 18 Jan 2013 05:12:45 +0000http://hammeroftruth.com/?p=1021476Well, our civil liberties are taking hits left, right, and sideways, but we have a small victories every now and again.

TSA will end a $5 million contract with OSI’s Rapiscan unit for the software after Administrator John Pistole concluded the company couldn’t meet a congressional deadline to produce generic passenger images, agency officials said in interviews.

The agency removed 76 of the machines from busier U.S. airports last year. It will now get rid of the remaining 174 Rapiscan machines, with the company absorbing the cost, said Karen Shelton Waters, the agency’s assistant administrator for acquisitions. The TSA will instead use 60 machines manufactured by L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. (LLL), the agency’s other supplier of body scanners.

“It became clear to TSA they would be unable to meet our timeline,” Waters said. “As a result of that, we terminated the contract for the convenience of the government.”

The decision to cancel the Rapiscan software contract and remove its scanners wasn’t related to an agency probe of whether the company faked testing data on the software fix, Waters said.

Yes, the Rap[e]iscan machines will soon be gone!

Apparently, Rapiscan couldn’t come up with the genericized template to pretend that the TSA pervs weren’t REALLY ChoMos in time, so the entire Rapiscan contract is cancelled (they weren’t looking at nekkid pics of everyone, they were just misunderstood, right?)

To [mis]quote Southwest, “you are now free to move about the country [mostly] unmolested.”

Update by SV:TIL what a chomo is. Thanks g4lt, for making me Google that.